Centrifugal agitator and process of making the same



Oct. 1. 1924.

E. B. NICHOLS GENTRIFUGAL AGITATOR AND PROCESS ,OF MAKING THE SAME Filed July 25. 1923 lug Emma zciah Patented 0st. 7, 1924.

EDGAR B. NICHOLS, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO PIEAUDL ER COM.- IPANY, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK. V

CENTRIFUGAL AGITATOR AND PROCESS or Maxine THE SAME.

Application filed July as, 1923. Serial No. 653,158. r

' To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDGAR B. NIoHoLs, a citizen of the United States, residing at Rochester, in the county of Monroe and State of New York, have invented certain ,new and useful Improvements in Centrifugal Agitators and Processes of Making the Same; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and to the reference nu.- merals marked thereon.

This invention relates to agitators of the variety adapted to be rotated in a container for stirring the contents thereof and operatin by a centrifugal form of action, one o-bgect of the invention being to provide an efiicient agitator of this character capable of being produced by practical manufacturing methods with economy of materials and labor. Another object is the provision of such a device adapted to be'constructed'from blanks of sheet metal advantageously formed and united to produce an agitator requiring but little metal material while having an integral and strong type of construction. Still a further object is to provide an agitator ,of the above character particularly adapted for having a coating of glass or other vitreous material efficiently fused or baked over its exterior to protect the same. A further object of the invention is to provide an improved method of constructing hollow agitators from sheet material to afford one having walls of substantially uniform thickness throughout and of relatively light weight. v i

To these and other ends the invention resides in certain improvements and combinatio'ns of parts all as will be hereinafter more fully described, the novel features being pointed out in the claims at the end of the specification.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side View of an agitator embodying the present invention.

Fig. 2 is an end view of the same. 7 Fig. 3 is a sectional view on line 29-43 in Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a detail sectional view on the line 4 4, Fig. 1 and 5 is a sectional view on the line 5;'5 in Fig. 2.

. Similar reference numerals throughout the several views indicate the same parts.

The present embodiment of the invention comprises an agitator formed from a pair of sheet metal blanks out, shaped and unitedto provide a closed hollow body of efficient agitating or impelling shape. This form of construction not only affords substantial econcombining a pair of sheet metal blanks 10' and 11, each of whichis initially'cut to pro duce a central hub portion 12with circumferentially spaced blades 13 extending out wardly therefrom with a rearwardly ill-- clined curvature, as shown in Fig. 2. Fou-r such blades are employed in the present in stance, but of course, this number may be varied and other for-ms of curvature in planes transverse'to the axis of rotation may ob viously be -s-ubst-ituted,"that shown in the present instance having however, been found effective for the-purposes desired. Marginal portions or flanges 1d of substantial depth are then formed or turned angularly in directions parallel'with the axis of rotation as best shown" in Fig. 5. These marginal portions of the two blanks extend toward each other and meet preferably in theabutting relation shown at 15, thus providing centrifugally iinpelling surfaces of substantialwidth in directions parallel with the axis of rotation.

The marginal edges of the blanks brought together as described above are preferably united by welding, brazing or the like as indicated at 16, Fig. 5. The marginalportions 14 preferably extend continuously from the rear side of one blade adjacent the hub along the'forward sidefof the succeeding blade, but the margins of the forward and rear side of each-blade arepreferably discontinuousat the tip, being brought to gether by the forming process described and also welded or brazed as at 17 It is obvious, of course, that one of the blanks may be formed as described and united with a plane shaped blank having the angularly turned margins omitted, where a vane of less width of impelling surface is desired.

For attaching the agitator to a supporting and driving shaft, the hub of the rear blank 11 preferably has an opening 18 formed centrally therein with itsperiphery swaged outwardly to produce a sleeve 19. as shown in Fig. 3, affording a substantial shaft bearing. The opening 18 communicating between the exterior and all portions of the interior of the body serves an additional purpose hereafter described. It is preferred also to form a forwardly extending boss 20 centrally of the hub of blank 10 to facilitate the flow of the agitated material, as well understood in the art.

There is thus produced a hollow, closed, sheet metal body of an integral and rigid nature, the strength of which may be varied by varying the thickness of the sheet metal employed. The blanks may be accurately cut, formed up and united according to various efficient shapes and designs by practical manufacturing methods with substan tial economy over a cast metal or other solid construction, especially where it is desired to employ a non-corrosive and relatively expensive metal. An important feature of the present invention, however, resides in the fact that the construction described is particularly adapted for producing a metal body capable of having a protective coating of glass or other vitreous material as indioated on an exaggerated scale at 21, Fig. 5, fused or baked on its outer surfaces. This advantage accrues primarily from the provision of walls of uniform thickness or mass and a body shape the portions of which are hollow and in communication with each other and the exterior through the shaft opening 18, for equalizing temperature conditions and gaseous pressures generated by a heating process such as required to fuse the enamel. In this construction steel or other suitable sheet metal may be used and the invention thus supplies a light, strong and economical metal agitator of efficient design with an unbroken surface coating of fused vitreous material having the chemically resistant, durable and sanitary qualities well known in the art.

f claim as my invention:

'1. A centrifugal type agitator coniprisa pair of sheet metal blanks shaped to provide central hub portions with circumferentially spaced blades, one of said blanks having a peripheral margin of substantial depth formed angularly toward the other blank and welded thereto to provide impelling vanes of substantial width transverse to the direction of rotation.

2. A centrifugal type agitator comprising a pair of sheet metal blanks shaped to provide central hub portions with circumferentially spaced blades one of said blanks having a peripheral margin of substantial depth formed angularly toward the other blank and welded thereto to provide im polling vanes of substantial width transverse to the direction of rotation, and one of said blank hubs having a shaft receiving opening formed therein, communicating vith the interior of the agitator and a fused coating of vitreous material protecting the exterior surface of the agitator.

3. A centrifugal type agitator comprising a pair of sheet metal blanks cut and formed to provide cenral hub portions having circumferentially spaced blade portions extending transversely of the axis of rotation with marginal portions of said blanks turned angularly toward each other and welded together to provide impelling vanes of substantial width in a direction parallel with said axis.

l-. A centrifugal type agitator comprising a pair of sheet metal blanks cutand formed to provide central hub portions having circumferentially spaced blade portions extending outwardly in rearwardly inclined curves with marginal portions of said blanks of substantial depth turned toward each other and welded together to provide impelling vanes of substantialv width in adirection parallel with the axis of rotation, one of said blank hubs having a shaft receiving opening communicating with the agitator interior, and a fused coating of vitreous material protecting the exterior surfaces of the agitator. v

5. A centrifugal type agitator comprising a pair of sheet metal blanks cut and formed to provide central hub portions having circumferentially spaced blade portions extending outwardly in rearwardly inclined curves with marginal portions of said blanks of substantial depth turnedtoward each other and welded together to provide impelling vanes of substantial width in a direction parallel with the axis of rotation, said marginal portions on the forward and rear sides of each blade being welded together at the blade tip to close the agitator body and one of said hubs having a central opening therein communicating with the agitator interior and formed with a peripheral flange for receiving a shaft, and a fused enamel coating protecting the agitator exterior.

6. The method ofconstructing a hollow rality of spaced radiating portions, forming an angularly disposed peripheral margin upon each of said sections and superimposing the sections and uniting the edges of said marginal portions by welding.

7. The method of constructing a hollow agitator which comprises shaping from sheet material two separate sections to provide each with a body portion having a plurality of tapered radiating portions, forming angular portions upon each of said sections and bending the edges of said body portions and the longitudinal edges of said tapered radiating portions, superimposing the sections so that the aforesaid edges of one section substantially meet the corresponding edges of the other section, uniting said sections by welding said edges, and also uniting the extremities of said angular portions by welding so as to close the ends of the tapered radiating portions.

8. The method of constructing a hollow agitator which comprises shaping from sheet material two separate sections to provide each with a body portion having a plurality of spaced radiating portions, forming an angularly disposed peripheral margin upon one of saidsections, uniting the edge of said margin with the other of said sections by welding, and fusing an enamel coat ing upon the exterior of the united sections.

9. The method of constructing .a hollow agitator which comprises shaping from sheet material two separate sections to pro vide each with a body portion having a plurality of spaced radiating portions, forming an angularly disposed peripheral margin upon each of said sections, superimposing the sections and uniting the edges of said marginal portions by welding and fusing an enamel coating upon the exterior of the united sections.

EDGAR B. NICHOLS. 

